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Guardian/Southdown tank guard/removable tow bar.


godzilla84

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Hi folks. I have recently been given a guardian fuel tank guard with the removable towing hitch for my discovery to replace the plough/standard towing equipment. My question is this.....

Does anybody else have one of these fitted and to they have any pictures of what they do with the towing electrics when the removable tow bar is removed? i have spent ages browsing the interweb and cant find any inspiration.

Many thanks in advance, Godzilla

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On my Defender challenge truck I got some inline female connectors that live inside the back body and made up some extension leads for the hitch. That way the sockets the caravan plugs into are permanently mounted on the hitch but when the hitch is removed there is nothing left at the back of the vehicle to get ripped off/damaged.

On the Defender the leads go through the seals on the rear door to the sockets on the inside of the vehicle although you MAY have better door sells/gaps on a Disco !

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Wasn't there a type of similar system which had a similar steel tank guard plate but with two welded parallel flanges running fore-aft towards its rear, each with two holes, and then a separate hitch carrier that was fitted to the flanges with big clevis pins, so that all that protruded from the tank guard when not using the hitch were the two flanges which didn't affect departure angle or the aesthetic of the back end of the vehicle?

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I'm not sure about the Discovery, but guessing here from the LR book of cost saving, it uses a very similar/the same loom as an RRC, and behind the RH rear lamp there is a round plug with all the connections for a tow bar in it.

When I had my southdown guard on my RRC, I just used to unplug the socket from here and take the towing equipment with me., Wrap the socket in a plastic bag to stop it filling with mud :)

Mine was an OE fitment towing kit originally, so could explain why it had this arrangement on the towing socket, but it did make for a very neat solution. I know others have wired in normal 12N sockets, but personally I think it is overkill, and more likely to get broken off road.

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Wasn't there a type of similar system which had a similar steel tank guard plate but with two welded parallel flanges running fore-aft towards its rear, each with two holes, and then a separate hitch carrier that was fitted to the flanges with big clevis pins, so that all that protruded from the tank guard when not using the hitch were the two flanges which didn't affect departure angle or the aesthetic of the back end of the vehicle?

Like this: IMG_0729.jpg (albeit on my 90). Then got either a drop plate or a recovery eye to put in there.

It's a southdown one (with a slight modification).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Like this: IMG_0729.jpg (albeit on my 90). Then got either a drop plate or a recovery eye to put in there.

It's a southdown one (with a slight modification).

I have a guardian one which is similar to the one in the picture and is a great bit of kit, the only problem I had with mine was the detatcable drop plate where the actual tow bar goes was a bit too big in depth, and had to be cut down, just squared it off a bit. I put a socket for the electrics on the body underneath the drivers side rear light and one on the drop plate and then made up a lead to join the two. When we go offroad is just a case of taking the lead out and the two pins and thats it, the two plates where the pins go through make ideal recovery points as well. I will post some pics when I get chance.
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I don't have a picture but I've mounted my electrics on the rear door itself. Between the spare whele and the numberplace.

Never had a problem plugging the trailer in, as its almost in line with the old socket just a little higher.

I'll have a look for a picture if needed.

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Mine are mounted on the back door, used some 12 core flex and fed it through the rubber grommet between body and door and into the door cavity - it's a bit of a fiddle but got it through in the end. I think, from memory, I doubled up on the negative feeds for the lights although you could probably pick a side light pos & neg up locally from the number plate lights.

Only pic I could find was from when we resprayed her after the 'rebuild' - the sockets are the white circles covered in masking tape!

One thing I did find was that some trailers didn't have enough slack to reach so I made up a pair of extensions about 1m long for the 12N & 12S.

DSCF3422.jpg

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This is mine, two inline sockets are mounted in the tub next to the rear off side lights. When the tow bar (and electrics) are removed there is nothing vulnerable left behind.

Rear door open...

post-2025-0-27363000-1337170514_thumb.jpg

Rear door shut...

post-2025-0-69455300-1337170529_thumb.jpg

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  • 5 months later...

I had forgotten about this post. I have found a soloution (which I will photograph) although since some theiving git nicked the removable bit of my tank guard its kind of irrelivent now. Before anyone says anything about me being a scouser :blink: it was nicked in leeds whilst I was visiting a mate. :hysterical:

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